Mako Iwamatsu

Mako Iwamatsu was a Japaneseborn American actor and voice artist who has been nominated for numerous awards. Many of his acting roles credited him simply as Mako where he omitted his surname. He is best known for his roles as PoHan in The Sand Pebbles , Akiro the Wizard in Conan the Barbarian and Conan the Destroyer, and for his voice roles as Aku in Samurai Jack and Iroh in Avatar The Last Airbender.

Mako was born in Kobe, Japan, the son of noted childrens book authors and illustrators Taro Yashima and Mitsu Yashima. Shortly before the outbreak of World War II, his parents, who were political dissidents, moved to the United States, leaving Mako in the care of his grandmother. After the war, his parents were able to arrange for him to join them, in 1949. He enlisted in the military in the 1950s and became a naturalized American citizen in 1956. When Mako first joined his parents in the USA, he studied architecture. During his military service, he discovered his theatrical talent, and trained at the Pasadena Community Playhouse.

Source: Wikipedia